


Answer Together

by darkrose



Category: Final Fantasy XIV, Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Au Ra Warrior of Light (Final Fantasy XIV), Bahamut Bashing, Bodily Transformation, Canon What Canon, Crossover, Episode Ignis Verse 2 if you squint, Eureka (Final Fantasy XIV), Fictional Free Company Shenanigans, Final Fantasy XIV: Heavensward Spoilers, Final Fantasy XIV: Stormblood Spoilers, Kugane, Lore is more of a guideline, M/M, Multi, Screw Destiny, Stormblood pre-Patch 4.2
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-08
Updated: 2019-01-20
Packaged: 2019-07-08 03:00:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,105
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15921456
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/darkrose/pseuds/darkrose
Summary: Prophecies aren't set in stone, gods can be wrong, and when the Warrior of Light joins forces with the Chosen King, the fate of two worlds will hang in the balance.(Also, Gladio gets huge(r), Noctis gets some tail, Ignis gets pointier around the ears , flying chocobos make tiny Prompto very happy, the Warrior of Light absolutely does not have an Elezen fetish, and Lunafreya Nox Fleuret is done with this nonsense.)





	1. Shoulder (Lunafreya)

**Author's Note:**

> For [this prompt](https://ffxv-kinkmeme.dreamwidth.org/5690.html?thread=10646586#cmt10646586) on the FFXV Kinkmeme. Work in progress; tags may change. Chock full o' spoilers for FFXIV and FFXV, including Stormblood through patch 4.1, and Episode: Ignis Verse 2.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Drifting in the Beyond after being murdered by Ardyn, Luna meets an entity calling herself the Word of the Mother, who offers her a chance to change the course of fate.

_Thy prayers have been heard, and thy sacrifice has not passed unnoticed._

With her eyes closed, the woman who called herself the Word of the Mother reminded Lunafreya of Gentiana...if Gentiana wore a white dress and had long, pale blond braids. She certainly had the whole enigmatic smile and obscure pronouncements thing down. 

Lunafreya tried to control her impatience as she waited for the woman to continue. Here in the endless now of the Beyond, time meant nothing, but she was all too aware that back in the world, Ignis lay dying at the base of the Crystal. Noctis, Gladio, and Prompto raced through Zegnautus Keep to find him, and Lunafreya knew that barring a miracle, they would be too late. If there was any chance to fix this, to change destiny and make all the pain and destruction and death mean something, it had to happen soon.

The Word of the Mother opened her eyes, and Lunafreya was lost in their blue depths, drowning for a second time. Her voice echoed in Lunafreya’s head, so loud that it almost hurt. _Long ago, when this Reflection was first born from Hydaelyn’s Source, a servant of Shadow came to this star, bringing darkness with him. For a time, the Powers of this star—those whom thou callest the Astrals—kept the darkness at bay. But when the Pyreburner fell, the balance was shattered, and this servant was set free to work his will._

As she spoke, Lunafreya’s mind was overwhelmed by a series of visions. Some were the familiar images from the Cosmogony; others were glimpses of a distant world, of twin crystals of light and darkness. “Hold on—” she started to say, because it was too much at once, but the Word of the Mother continued, relentless and inexorable.

_The Accursed One willingly shared his mortal form with the Ascian. By embracing the darkness did he gain eternal life, and power over the negation of life that is the Scourge of this star. As Five, not Six, the Astrals were diminished, and even they could not hope to defeat the Ascian, shadow born from the Source. In a desperate attempt to destroy the Accursed and the darkness he carries within him, the mightiest of the Astrals, Bahamut the Draconian, did set his great Prophecy in motion._

“Ah, yes,” Lunafreya said, not bothering to hide her anger, “That would be the Prophecy that ends with me and everyone I ever loved or cared about dead—and now you’re telling me it has to be that way because the gods themselves aren’t strong enough to defeat one man?”

For a brief moment, the Word of the Mother looked like an ordinary young woman, not much older than Lunafreya herself when she died. There was something knowing and even a little sardonic in her expression. _The Accursed is far more than a man, but even so, it is true that the Powers that shape the stars always seem strangely unable to act without mortal hands to do their work._ There was a distinct sense of bitterness in the thought; it felt very familiar to Lunafreya.

_But mortal hands can sometimes do that which divine intervention cannot,_ the Word of the Mother continued. _The Prophecy is written, but by thine actions, and those of thy King’s oath-bound brothers…new possibilities have been created. New paths exist, and perhaps new answers to the question of how to return the light to your star. A window—or mayhap, a doorway—has been opened, and for this brief moment, our stars are aligned._

An image formed in the space between them: a young man with brown skin and burgundy hair streaked with white, wearing a long white coat and holding a glowing white staff in one gloved hand. He had massive black horns on either side of his head, and a tail covered in black scales waved behind him. 

_The Warrior of Light._ The Word of the Mother was smiling, but Lunafreya sensed sadness in her. _Hydaelyn hath invested much of her power in him, that he may deliver the Source from the darkness. Many have been gifted with the Echo, but of all Hydaelyn’s chosen, it manifests most strongly in him—and he alone bears all six Crystals of Light._

She spread her hands, and Lunafreya saw six crystals—deep blue, pale blue, pale green, red, gold, and violet—hovering over her palms. _Should the Chosen King forge an alliance with the Warrior of Light, it may shift the balance between darkness and light on both of our stars. Grant these to the Chosen King and his brothers, three and three. With Hydaelyn’s blessing will they be be allowed to pass through thy Crystal and travel to the Source. There they must needs seek out the Warrior of Light and convince him to aid this Reflection._ She gestured, and Lunafreya gasped as the six crystals floated toward her and then passed _through_ her, settling just above her heart.

_Be warned; this will be no easy task. The Warrior of Light is Hydaelyn’s last shield against the gathering darkness. Should he leave the Mothercrystal’s light, even for a short time, the cost to the Source may be greater than we have anticipated. Know also that to traverse the Aetherial Sea, the Chosen King and his comrades must needs be transformed—_

“Wait—what? Transformed how?” The image of the Word of the Mother wavered, and Lunafreya saw that she was becoming transparent. “You can’t just say that and then fade away!”

“Must…soon…” the Word of the Mother said, speaking aloud for the first time. “Tell…Galqar…Minfilia sent…would not…unless…of greatest import…” For an instant, she looked like glass, and then she shattered and was gone.

In her own incorporeal state, Lunafreya shouldn’t have been able to feel exhausted, but it seemed that even death would not free the Oracle from her calling. Lunafreya imagined herself squaring her shoulders and taking a deep breath in order to get to work, for the sake of her mother and Regis and Crowe and Nyx and her beloved idiot of a brother, and for Gladio, Prompto, Ignis and Noctis himself. The world needed more saving—from the Starscourge, the Accursed, and a from certain overgrown-dragon-man god who threw away his mortal tools when they’d served their purpose—and Lunafreya was going to see that it was saved.


	2. Welcome (Noctis)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After using the Ring of the Lucii to bring Ignis back from the brink of death, Noctis and his friends are drawn into the Crystal. They emerge into a world where everything is strange and different, including themselves.

_Hear…_

In the depths of the Crystal, Noctis heard voices. Sometimes they spoke in languages he didn’t know; other times they sang, wordless melodies that resonated in his bones. Somewhere in the distance, a dragon roared. Once or twice, he thought he heard a woman’s voice calling his name, and whispering titles that might have been his: _Chosen King. Savior of the Star. Bringer of the Dawn._

_Feel…_

He’d been clinging to Ignis when the Crystal drew them in. His fingers were numb, but there was pressure against them where Prompto had grabbed his hand. At his back, warm and solid and real in the vast cold emptiness, was Gladio. They were all there—wherever there was—and they were together.

_Think…_

_You must find the Warrior of Light, and convince him to aid you in driving back the darkness._ The thought wasn’t his, Noctis was sure of that. It sounded—it felt like—Luna, only she was inside his head. She was a light, and he knew somehow that he had to follow her as she guided him towards a gateway and through—

“Ow! Dude, you’re squishing me!” Prompto squeaked as all four of them tumbled to the ground in a heap. Noctis rolled over, and looked around, but he couldn’t see Prompto anywhere. He could feel the weight of the Ring on his finger, heavy and cold, but he didn’t dare take it off, not until he figured out what the fuck was going on.

“What the fuck is going on?” Gladio rumbled. Noctis looked up…and up…and up. Somehow, Gladio had gone from big to enormous, like he’d gained two feet in height and a whole lot more muscle, which Noctis wouldn’t have thought was possible.

Ignis cleared his throat. “It appears that in addition to being transported…elsewhere, we have been transformed somehow, presumably a side-effect of the Crystal’s magic.” His voice was the same, but he’d also gotten taller. He was still thin, but his proportions were off; his neck seemed too long for his body and his ears were long and sharply pointed, like an elf from a video game. Like Gladio, he was wearing his Crownsguard fatigues, which had somehow adjusted to fit his new body. He reached up and adjusted his glasses, the gesture just a bit unsettling on the not-quite-familiar face.

“Oh. My. Gods!” Noctis heard Prompto’s voice again, higher-pitched than normal and coming from somewhere around his knees. He looked down.

If Gladio had been enlarged all over—Noctis wondered if it was _all_ over, but quickly shoved that thought aside—and Ignis had been stretched out, then Prompto looked like he’d been washed and left in the dryer too long. He was short, like a little kid, and sort of round with small arms and stumpy little legs. His hair was still blond and sticking up like the ass-end of a chocobo in front, and there were still freckles over his button of a nose, but his ears were pointy and stuck out on either side of his head. His wide eyes were weird and glassy; it took Noctis a moment to realize that they were solid blue, with no whites or pupils. 

He was…adorable, actually, and Noctis kind of wanted to pick him up and cuddle him.

“I’m _tiny_!” Prompto wailed. “Like, miniature me! And I’m—“ He broke off, his mouth falling open as he stared up at Noctis. “Dude! You’re a kitty!”

“What the fuck?” Noctis glanced at Ignis, because clearly whatever shrunk Prompto messed with his head somehow, but Ignis was patting the top of his own head and looking oddly nervous. 

“You do seem to have—ah, your ears—“ 

“Yeah, well yours don’t exactly look normal,” Noctis pointed out, but he raised a hand and _holy shit_ , his ears were on top of his head and they were furry and soft, exactly like a cat’s. This _had_ to be some kind of weird, fucked-up dream…except the guys were there and they all seemed to be as baffled as he was. 

“Don’t forget the tail,” Gladio said, and Noctis turned around and saw a flicker of something black. He turned again, trying to spot it, and he almost fell over. He swiped at it, and this time he caught it with fingers tipped with tiny, sharp black claws. It was definitely a cat’s tail, long and covered with sleek black fur. 

“Menphina’s tits, will you fucking _move_?” The annoyed woman with cat ears and a tail matching her bright green hair barely came up to Noctis’ shoulder; the axe strapped to her back looked taller than she was. “Grown-ass Keeper chasing his tail in front of the aetheryte—no wonder people think we’re all brainless morons.” She stalked off, still grumbling. 

Noctis looked around, taking in their surroundings for the first time. They were standing in front of a crystal of some kind, but it definitely wasn’t _the_ Crystal. This one was a clear blue and shaped like a teardrop, rotating slowly above a wood and stone pedestal. At random intervals, people appeared in front of it, some of them touching it for several seconds before walking away, or simply vanishing. There were more cat-people, and a few elf-eared ones like Ignis, and several giants who resembled Gladio and some of the short ones like Prompto, sporting bizarre clothes and a bewildering range of skin and hair colors. A few of them were glaring, others were pointing and laughing at them, and Noct felt his face heat up and his ears flatten. If this was a dream, he was more than ready to wake up.

“May I help you?” 

Noctis stared up at the…person who’d just spoken. Everything was strange and wrong about this place, but this guy—and he was definitely a guy—in front of them was on a whole other level of weird. He wasn’t quite as big as giant Gladio, but definitely larger than elf Ignis, but instead of ears, pointed, furry, or otherwise, he had black horns on either side of his head, long and curved and wickedly sharp-looking, like a pair of Ignis’ daggers.

A part of Noctis’s brain was screaming “Daemon!” and he almost reached for his armiger. Another part—the one with the cat ears and tail and were those _fangs_ in his mouth?—wanted to hiss and snarl at him. He could feel his tail lashing behind him, and he suspected that if he managed to catch a glimpse, it would be puffed up.

The man tilted his head and seemed to be a bit bemused, though it was a bit hard to tell because his eyes looked like something out of a movie: a gray dark enough to be called black, with a thin ring of silver around his iris that seemed to reflect the sunlight. His hair was the color of red wine, darker than Ardyn’s— _Don’t think about him_ —and streaked with white. Curving black lines were painted under his eyes, and the reddish-brown skin of his face and neck was covered in patches of black scales. Even his beard was strange, as if Gladio’s chinstrap was made of spiky chitin instead of hair.

“Sorry, it’s just that you looked a bit lost, and I thought perhaps you’d just gotten off the ship from Limsa.” His voice was a pleasant, light tenor, with a strange lilting accent to his Lucian.

“Careful, Noct.” Gladio moved to put himself between the horny guy and his king. It was like standing behind a literal wall. “That outfit looks like a—an Imperial.” 

After what they’d learned about Prompto at Zegnautus Keep, Noctis could appreciate that Gladio’d caught himself before saying “Niff”. And he did have a point; the white leather coat and metal boots Horny Guy was wearing reminded Noctis of Ravus’ outfit. Still, given by his scowl, it was probably the wrong thing to say.

“I’m not sure if I should be amused or insulted,” he said, his voice dropping dangerously close to a growl. “But I can assure you that I would sooner cut off both horns and my tail before I’d _ever_ take Garlean coin.

“Wait—Garlean?” Prompto said, just as Ignis scoffed. 

“Honestly, Gladio. We’re obviously not at home, so the likelihood that he is an Imperial officer is vanishingly slim.” He turned and bowed to Horny Guy. “Please forgive my suspicious companion. As you surmised, we are new here, and any assistance you can provide would be most welcome.”

Horny Guy was quiet for a long moment, and Noctis tensed. Then his mouth curved up, and the tattoo around his eyes crinkled. He placed both hands on his legs, where Noctis assumed his thighs were, and bowed from the waist. The gesture was clearly aimed at Ignis, and it was Noctis’ turn to be torn between amusement and insult because who was the prince—king—here again? Also, he wasn’t sure he liked the way the guy was looking at Ignis. 

“Of course,” Horny Guy said. “And I do understand. Kugane can be overwhelming at first, even compared to a city like Ul’dah, let alone Limsa or Gridania. Or Ishgard, of course,” he added, nodding toward Ignis.

Noctis blinked. There were quite a few people wandering around the plaza, but not really enough to be considered overwhelming. It looked like one of the districts of Insomnia that catered to tourists, with little shops and boutiques designed to look old and narrow streets closed off to traffic. It was cute, in a quaint sort of way that didn’t look like anywhere on Eos he’d ever been.

“Sorry,” he told Horny Guy. “Um, I guess if you wanted to show us around that’d be cool.”

“Certainly. I assume you’ve attuned to the aetheryte, so we should really step out of the way. Do watch your step—oh, dear.” Noctis managed to avoid tripping, but Prompto, with his stubby little legs, wasn’t so lucky, and he tumbled down the set of stairs to the street. Ignis and Gladio both dove to try to catch him, but Horny Guy was faster, and plucked Prompto up in his arms and set him gently on his feet. 

“Careful,” he said. “Not many Lalafell in Kugane until very recently, so nothing will be scaled to fit you. It’s like Ishgard was a couple of years ago.”

Prompto was roughly the color of a tomato. “Sorry. Thanks, um. For picking me up.”

Horny Guy smiled and nodded. “Not at all. Shall we continue?” He turned around, and that was when Noctis realized he wasn’t the only one in their little party with a tail. Horny Guy’s tail wasn’t quite as long as the one currently attached to Noctis—proportionately, anyway—but it was thicker except where it narrowed at the tip, covered in black scales. His coat seemed to have been designed to accomodate it, which made Noctis wonder what the hell had happened to his own cargo pants. 

“So over there—you passed it when you got off the boat—is Shiokaze Hostelry.” Horny Guy waved a long-fingered hand tipped with black claws, longer and sharper-looking than the ones Noctis seemed to have now. “Food’s overpriced for what you get, in my opinion, but the drinks are decent. Oh, and Kotokaze is a liar. She’ll act like she’s barely even heard of Triple Triad when she’s a fucking card sharp who cheats. I swear I’ve seen her throw down more than one five-star card before.”

Noctis looked at Ignis, who shook his head. 

“Now if you need a quick bite to eat, the Teahouse over there is perfect. Ume is a sweetheart, and you can sit and watch the people fall off Kugane Tower trying to climb it.”

As they pass what seems to be one of the taller buildings in the area, Noctis saw a tiny person fall, and hears a high-pitched “Fuuuuuuck!” Aside from some laughter, no one around seemed terribly concerned. Horny Guy shrugged.

“She’ll be fine. With all the adventurers around here, you can’t shake a cane without hitting a white mage.” His grin faded a little when he realizes they weren’t getting the joke. Clearing his throat, he pointed at a wooden stall next to the tea stand. 

“Adventurer’s Guild reps are over there; you can pick up levequests from them. Only trade- and fieldcraft, though. I don’t know if they have a deal with the sekiseigumi or what, because they won’t give out battlecraft leves, and you…have no idea what I’m taking about, do you?”

Noctis, Ignis, Prompto and Gladio all shook their heads. Their local guide narrowed his silver-ringed eyes. “Where exactly did you say you were from again?”

Ignis shoved his glasses up his nose yet again. “We didn’t say, exactly. It occurs to me that we haven’t really been properly introduced.”

Red brows drew down. “No, we haven’t.” He bowed again, this time with his right hand on his left shoulder. “Galqar Haragin, founding member of the Falling Stars Free Company, Scion of the Seventh Dawn, and First Storm Lieutenant of the Maelstrom, at your service.” He smiled, showing those sharp teeth again.

Ignis bowed back. “A pleasure to meet you. I am Ignis Scientia…” When no one else said anything, Ignis sighed a little and added, “This is Gladiolus Amicitia, Prompto Argentum, and—“

“Noct Gar,” Noctis put in. He’d noticed the way Horny Guy— _Galqar? What the hell kind of name is that?_ —was frowning, and he didn’t want to give his real name just yet. Galqar nodded politely, and then everything went even further to shit.

Noctis’ skull erupted in agony, like someone driving a spike into his forehead. He groaned and clutched his head, digging his claws into his scalp in an attempt to distract himself from the larger pain. His vision was going gray like he was about to pass out, but he was dimly aware of Galqar mirroring him, down on his knees with his head in his hands. Gladio was shouting and Prompto was squeaking and he saw:

He was at the center of a ring of fire, only he was Galqar—no, he was _watching_ Galqar, his hair in long braids instead of a man-bun, wearing tights and a short robe, holding a book in one hand and writing something with the other using an actual quill pen. A small green creature that reminded Noctis of Carbuncle crouched at his side as he faced a massive daemon that was all flames and black spikes.

 _Ifrit_ , whispered a voice in Noctis’ head.

“Wait, what?” Noctis said aloud, but he couldn’t hear his voice over the roar of the flames. In the _Cosmology_ , Ifrit was always depicted as a huge man with horns—sort of like Galqar, actually—not this. 

The daemon-Ifrit roared. _The truth of thine allegiance waxeth clear—thou art of the godless blessed’s number. The Paragons warned of thine abhorrent kind. Thine existence is not to be suffered._ Galqar bared his teeth.

 _Try me._ He made a complicated gesture with one hand, and for an instant Noctis saw the outlines of a shape hanging in the air before a ray of greenish…stuff exploded in Ifrit’s direction. The Carbuncle-like creature sent a blast of wind at Ifrit as well, and the battle was joined. It didn’t seem to take long before Ifrit staggered, mortally wounded, and then dissipated in a shower of sparks.

The world spun, and Noctis was looking down on a stone platform raised over a lake of molten gold. Once again, Galqar stood at the center, book in hand as he faced down an animated boulder.

 _Titan_ , the voice supplied. This version of the god cried out, _Fly, my children! He will not be denied!_ and exploded from the inside in a burst of light. Galqar watched, frowning, before closing his book and vanishing. Noctis braced himself, and sure enough, everything lurched and shifted around him.

This time he was in the vortex of a storm. Wind whipped and sliced at him as a weird bird-like woman with multiple wings and fingers like talons screeched and cackled. Galqar snarled at her, but whatever he said was lost in the sound of the shrieking wind. 

_Garuda._

The shift caught him by surprise, and he was still trying to settle himself when he saw Galqar—not alone, this time—staring up at a giant old man with a massive beard as lightning crackled around them. Noctis didn’t need the voice to tell him that this was Ramuh, or that the sea serpent in the next vision was Leviathan, or that the blue-skinned woman with a bow of ice was Shiva. He caught a sense of regret, and pain as he watched her vanish into glittering sparks and transform into a tall, pale woman with long blue hair and pointed ears. 

The world shifted yet again, and Noctis was in the center of a dome. Galqar was flanked by two kids with pointed ears and white hair, all with grim expressions as they advanced toward a massive dragon. 

_Bahamut._

This time, the shift was instantaneous. Galqar was alone again, floating in front of a huge blue crystal. Six smaller crystals of different colors hovered around him. The voice that had whispered the names of the gods to Noctis spoke, clear and ringing. _Warrior of Light. Beloved son._

Galqar turned then, and looked at Noctis for the first time. He opened his mouth, but before he could speak another series of visions pulled Noctis under like a riptide:

Galqar knocking over a chair as he tried to get to a girl—no, one of the tiny people—who’d fallen to the floor, spilled wine spreading in a crimson pool around her. 

Galqar in spiky blue armor and carrying a lance as he slowly walked toward a black dragon, light gathering around him with each step.

Galqar dressed all in red, lunging toward a tall blond man who held a katana at his own throat.

Galqar kneeling beside a pale, pointy-eared man who was coughing up blood, his hands trembling as he tried to cast a spell over and over again. Noctis clenched his fists, clawed fingertips digging into his palms. He could feel Galqar’s pain, as real as the wound in the dying man’s chest.

 _Chosen King. Bringer of the Dawn._ The world spun again, and again Noctis floated in the blue vastness of the Beyond. Hovering in front of the blue crystal he’d seen before was a woman with long blonde braids and blue eyes with no pupil. 

_The Voice of thy shard hath called to the Mothercrystal, and we have heard her prayers,_ The woman’s lips didn’t move; Noctis heard her voice directly in his head. _By Hydaelyn’s grace were you and your companions brought here to the Source, that you might gather strength from Her light._

“The Voice of—what?”

_The one you know as the Oracle, she who speaks for the gods of your star. By her sacrifice, she has ascended, and now speaks for the Power that is greater than those you call the Astrals._

Noctis opened his mouth to speak, but the woman smiled slightly and shook her head. _In time, you will understand. For now, know this: should you walk the path of Bahamut’s Prophecy alone, your sacrifice, and the sacrifices of those who went before you, will be in vain. The foe you face is powerful beyond even the might of the Astrals. Only if the Warrior of Light adds his strength to yours can you hope to prevail._

The woman reached out and placed her palm against Noctis’ chest, over his heart. _Balance must needs be restored to Eos, lest the Darkness prevail and cover the Source and all Her remaining Reflections in shadow. Go now; return to the world, and share our words with the Warrior of Light._ She shimmered, her image fading away as he watched.

“Wait—who are you?” Noctis shouted into the blue emptiness. The woman smiled, barely visible. 

_We are the Word of the Mother, but once, we were called Minfillia._

Suddenly everything was solid again, especially the stone-paved street. Noctis tried to sit up and barely managed to keep from throwing up. His head felt like it was going to explode, and he could hear Gladio yelling at someone to get back. A shadow blocked out the late-afternoon sun; Noctis squinted and saw Galqar crouched in front of him. 

“Back with us, I see. Does the Echo usually hit you that badly?”

“Huh?” Everything was still too loud and too bright. Galqar scowled and looked over his shoulder.

“Yes, it’s a very impressive sword, but I can assure you that the sekiseigumi will not agree, so if you would please _put that away now._ ” There was a snap of command in his voice that almost made Noctis want to obey him. He turned back to Noctis. “Can you stand?”

It was an effort, but Noctis managed to get to his feet, with some assistance from Galqar. “You may be suffering from aether sickness on top of everything else,” he said. “It seems like—shit. Because this is what I needed today. He glared at Prompto, Ignis, and especially Gladio. “Please don’t say anything, any of you, and let me handle this.”

Two men and a woman who all looked like normal humans in red and white robes came running up, hands on the hilts of their katanas. Galqar bowed deeply from the waist. “Makoto, this is an unexpected pleasure.”

The woman paused and stared at the Insomnians, then up at Galqar. “We received word of a disturbance.”

Galqar smiled. “Yes, my friends here just arrived from Eorzea. Prompto fell, and Gladiolus was afraid that he would be injured and, ah…perhaps overreacted a bit. Everything’s fine now.”

“If you’re sure…” Her frown deepened. “Where is your katana?”

“Oh, I haven’t lost it or anything like that.” Galqar reached behind him and suddenly there was a long white and gold staff with a wide, triangular head in his hands. Feathers drifted around it and bubbles floated in the breeze. “I’ve been doing some healing recently.”

All three humans stared at Galqar, eyes wide. “You are a healer as well as a samurai? You never mentioned that,” the woman said.

Galqar gestured and the staff vanished, like he’d put it into the Armiger, only without the flash of blue light. “Ah, well…I’ve picked up a few skills here and there…do forgive me; my friends haven’t had anything to eat since before their ship docked, so we were going to head to the markets. You and I should have a drink sometime soon, though?”

The woman nodded. “Yes, of course. Be well, my friend.” She left, accompanied by the silent men, and Galqar exhaled slowly.

“That could have gone worse, I suppose. Come on; we need to talk, and this is definitely not the place to do that. If you’ll follow me, Your Highness?”

Ignis shoved his glasses up on his nose. “It’s ‘Your Majesty’, actually,” he said, his voice noticeably cooler than before. “And I confess I am curious as to how you obtained that information.”

Galqar blinked. “The Echo, of course.” 

Gladio had his “I want to punch somebody” look on his face, and Noctis decided he needed to step in before things escalated.

“That’s the thing where I passed out and saw your memories?” he asked Galqar, who nodded. “Yeah, that’s never happened to me before. I’m guessing you saw my past and stuff, like I saw yours—Warrior of Light?”

Galqar winced. “Perhaps you could say that just a little louder?” he hissed. Despite his pounding head, Noctis grinned at him, only feeling a little guilty when Galqar pinched the bridge of his nose. 

“Look, will you four just please follow me? I’d like to get to the Ruby Bazaar before half of Kugane shows up wanting me to deliver messages for them.

“Does that happen to you often?” Ignis said, looking from Galqar to Noctis, eyes narrowed. Galqar sighed.

“You have no idea,” he muttered.

“Actually buddy,” Prompto piped up, “You might be surprised.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Noctis is kind of numb at this point, poor bb. 
> 
> This is [Galqar in Kugane.](https://imgur.com/mFk0Tu5) I haven't figured out gpose, so he has the default male Au Ra resting bitch face.
> 
> The claws and sharp teeth on Au Ra are my personal headcanon.


End file.
